Skype 教室计划又有新动作

          去年九月，Skype宣布了“教室”计划，其目的是让全球数以万计的学生和老师免费的在线交流，了解不同的文化、知识和经历。2012年3月，Skype与DonorsChoose.org（慈善创意网站，主要针对教育人群）合作，进一步的消除异地学生和教师之间交流的障碍，让他们参与“教室”计划，与世界另一端的学生和老师面对面的交谈，互动和学习。

          Skype已捐助了160万元，帮助各地教育者完善其设备。Skype宣称，他们将通过DonorsChoose网站为更多需要教育机构提供资助和设备，让更多的学生参与“教室”计划，收获不同的知识。

          昨天，在Skye的博客博客上看到这样一段消息：

Today, Skype in the classroom is joining forces with Penguin Group, New York Philharmonic, Peace One Day,Save the Children, and the Science Museum, London to support teachers by offering exciting classroom content for their students. Registered teachers from around the globe can now browse interesting projects from these organizations on our free Skype in the classroom community of more than 28,000 educators.

The following projects from these five organizations will provide teachers with unique content and access to inspiring guest speakers:

Penguin Young Readers Group will connect authors, such as Adam Gidwitz, Caroline Lawrence and Nancy Krulik, with students for discussions about books, reading and writing;

The New York Philharmonic offers live interaction with musicians and educators, beginning with an exploration of Billy the Kid -the man and the legend- through the lens of Aaron Copland’s 1939 ballet;

Registered teachers have the opportunity to link directly to the free Skype supported Peace One Day Global Education Resources and inspire and educate their students about the importance of peace in the modern world. Students can also connect with Peace One Day Founder, Jeremy Gilley and listen to his inspirational story, questioning him on all aspects of his incredible journey to institutionalize Peace Day, 21 September;

Save the Children and the Science Museum, London will have individual projects on Skype in the classroom by the end of the year.

            最近一两年，Skype动作频频，会给视频会议系统领域带来什么样的冲击？无论如何，我们乐见这些互联网大企业在教育领域的投资和运作，相信会给教育和人类学习带来更多的可能性和机遇。